Blessed to have 2!

So happy that I got the chance to take care of sweet baby Alyssa this afternoon... Her mum, Selina wasn't feeling well. Falling sick when one is pregnant is a terrible feeling! No medicines to eat! I've been through that before, so I definitely understand how she feels. I'm glad I could help by taking care of her little girl!

Anyway, today, I had Alyssa all to myself, besides my 2 children of course! Usually, when Alyssa is here, Selina, Echo or Ivy would be around. I have taken care of her alone a few times before, but never as long as today...

I could see how happy all 3 kids were! Alyssa just wouldn't nap. She kept smiling and laughing when she looked at Zac & Nana. They too, were excited to have her around in the house. Nana was busy entertaining Alyssa, singing and dancing away! As for Zac, I could see how responsible he was. Everytime I walked away, Zac would come and sit behind her. I think he was trying to protect her from falling backwards. He would also pick up her water bottle and feed her. All this done of his own accord!

My 2 kids have really grown so much! A child Alyssa's age is the best! This is the fun age! And I really miss those times! I wish I could turn back time... On my crazy days, I'll think about the fun that we'll have if a 3rd one come along! Haha.

Though possible, I don't think both me and dear would really want a new addition in our family. Everything is so expensive, and I'm actually stressed about my kids right now. Me and my what ifs yet again! What if they can't cope with their studies, what if they mix with the wrong friends, what if something goes wrong in the future... And many more what ifs...

So, when crazy "3rd child" thoughts come to mind, I'll come up with more "what ifs" to make me feel better! At the present moment, having 2 is already a handful... :)

Fun-filled weekend

Helloooooo everyone! How was your weekend? Sorry for the late update... Can't remember what I was busy with... Or was I just too lazy to do a single thing yet again? Ehmmm...

Anyway, my weekend was wonderful! Went to West Garden Lake to fish on Saturday and to the pumpkin farm on Sunday... All done with great company! Enjoy the following photos... 

Desert West Lake...

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Tolmachoff Farms...

The pumpkin patch kids! Hehe.

Mama & Papa are so proud of you baby! Your brother don't even dare to go near the horse!

Winter is coming!

The usually hot Arizona has been cold since yesterday. Well, at least I know Goodyear is! The sky was dark and it rained when I sent Zac to school yesterday morning. And according to dear, it rained again last night. No wonder I felt so lazy to do anything... just wanted to snuggle up in bed. Hehe.

According to the calendars, autumn / fall began on 23rd September... (The date actually coincides with Zac's birthdate!) But the summer heat can still be felt the last few weeks. Temperature only started to get cooler after yesterday.

Coming from a tropical country where it's hot and humid the entire year, I am always excited each time the season changes. 31st October marks my first year overseas. I was born and raised in Singapore. Therefore, I've never experienced any other climate. And since I've been here, I have only seen 3 season changes... from winter to spring, spring to summer and summer to autumn. So, can you imagine how excited I am to be able to witness the season changing to winter soon?

During summer, the days are longer than nights... 5 plus in the morning here feels like it's 7 a.m in Singapore and it only gets dark at around 8 plus at night. And when I say summer, I mean hot! Really hot! Too hot that no one wants to leave their home! It seems like every other Singaporeans here were hibernating, except for the husbands, as they needed to work. Even the children don't go to school. My goodness! A 3 months break for them! My children almost rotted at home, and I almost went insane!

Now that it's autumn, the sun is rising later, at around 6 plus in the morning and setting earlier everyday, at around 5 plus in the evening.

By the way, I have officially stopped turning on our home aircon! Time to enjoy the cooling autumn and winter air... :)

White Sands National Monument

We head down to White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo after the balloon fiesta. I must say that it is a beautiful place! We really love the colours of the white sand and the clear blue sky! Surprisingly, the sand was very cooling despite the hot sun!

The kids had fun sledding, while we adults, enjoyed the view and of course, writing on the sand!



Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta 2010

Phew! Finally I'm done with all the editing and selecting of the photos from the recent trip to New Mexico. We had so much fun those 3 days and kept snapping pictures of everything. Too busy snapping that we didn't realise we actually took almost 300 photos. That was why it took me ages to post them here or on facebook. Hehe.

The journey from our home in Goodyear to Albuquerque was a tiring 7 hours drive. Nope, I didn't drive during the trip. I know some of you out there must be saying "Never drive so cannot complain that you are tired!" But... but... but... just sitting in the car was actually bad enough for me. I can't afford to fall asleep because I have to keep my dear hubby entertained. I worry he might doze off while driving. I know he's worn out, and I really wish I could take over so he could nap, but driving during roadtrips is not within my capability yet. So far, the furthest I have driven to is Lee Lee, an oriental supermarket which is at the most, a half hour drive from my place. 

Anyway, the Balloon Fiesta was a good experience. To be able to see the hot air balloons was really a rare opportunity. Back home in Singapore, this is something that we could only read up on or watch on TV. Now that we are in US, we definitely wouldn't want to miss it. The fiesta is an annual event held in Albuquerque, New Mexico during the first week of October.  

We bought tickets for 2 days since we wanted to see the beauty of the balloons when they light up at night and when they take flight in the morning. Both times were equally awesome. While we were there, we definitely could feel the massive joy everywhere around us. It was super crowded! 

What we saw on Saturday night was breathtaking! The balloons fired their burners and lit up when the sun began to set. The sight was like giant holiday ornaments glowing. We were disappointed though, when there were only a few being lit up, probably around 10. We had expected to see more. This was followed by a spectacular fireworks display. When that took place, it almost felt like we were back home, watching fireworks at Marina on National Day! 

The next morning, we went to the Fiesta again. This time to watch the mass ascension of the balloons. You should see our faces when we saw the balloons take off and sail silently through the blue sky. It was magnificent! We were so excited and got busy with our camera. By the way, did I mention that it was a very, very cold morning? The kids had their winter wear on, but I came unprepared. Just had my normal thin jacket with me. Luckily Echo had a spare jacket, a thick one, to lend me! :) I might have not enjoyed myself as much if not for it...

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - definitely one which we will never forget!

Zac's swollen cheek

My poor boy got bitten by an insect on his right cheek. Not sure if it's a mosquito that kissed him though... We find it kind of cute and kept bugging him to allow us to take a photo. That explains the long grumpy face!

Lake Havasu

Dear has always wanted to go to Lake Havasu, a lake which is about 2.5 hours drive from home. As usual, what other places can keep a "fisherman" interested? Back home in Singapore, the beach is our usual weekend hangout as dear would fish at the nearby jetty. Now that we are in US and there isn't any sea, the lakes are his next favourite place.

I, however, wasn't really looking forward to it. It's freaking hot in summer! Like all other trips to lakes, I usually just sit down and watch dear and the kids fish. Fishing is just not my thing! Haiz... But I have to admit that it is indeed a good family activity! I see Zac & Nana benefiting from it. Fishing instills patience in them. Most of us go through life rushing from one thing to the next and at times, practising patience becomes a challenge for us. As much as I am all for fishing, there's one thing which I dislike - getting darker. I get darker after each and every fishing trip. I'm a Malay so I have been tan all my life. I definitely don't wish to get any darker than now. And thus, that explains why we kept having the trip to Lake Havasu postponed.

We finally made it yesterday though. Dear was still on leave, and the kids had nothing much to do during this break. Lake Havasu is actually a nice place. There are boats for rent if you want to venture out into the lake. And they have a designated area for visitors to suntan or swim. The highlight of Lake Havasu is the bridge there. It is called the London Bridge. Why is it called the London Bridge?

As we all know, the London Bridge was originally in London, England. In 1962, it was found to be not strong enough to support the increased load created by the level of traffic crossing it. The bridge was therefore dismantled in 1967. The founder of Lake Havasu purchased the bridge with the intention of turning it into a tourist attraction. Granite blocks from the original bridge were sent over. Construction began and the bridge was finally completed in 1971.

Anyway, back to my story... Dear, of course, brought along his fishing rods and tools. We found a great spot. And there's even a sheltered seat for me. Hehe.

All 3 of them started fishing while I kept myself busy snapping photos. The kids stood at the shore initially. A few minutes later, I saw them standing in the water, with the water level up to their ankle. I just warned dear to watch out for them since they were just behind him. I started checking out the photos which I took and when I looked up, the kids were already half-submerged in the water. I called for them to come out, but as usual, they didn't want to listen. Then, a while later, I saw both of them IN THE WATER! They were practically swimming! I almost started my incessant naggings. But when I saw their happy smiles, I just couldn't bring myself to scold them. They were having so much fun! It has been quite some time since I last brought them for a swim.

A fishing trip that turns out to be a swimming trip as well. What a day! By the way, dear didn't manage to catch any fish that day... Hehe.

Fishing @ Garden Lake

The kids kicked off their 1 week Fall break with a trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the Balloon Fiesta and White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo, also in New Mexico. We set off early Saturday morning. A great trip, although me and Nana were not feeling very well. Took a lot of photos, but haven't had the chance to upload since I'm busy with some other stuff. Hehe. Will definitely post them once I find the time.

Anyway, we got back home on Monday night. Even before I finish unpacking the luggage or get over the tiredness from the journey, the kids started bugging for a fishing trip. Don't they ever feel tired? Dear took leave this whole week since the children will be home. So, naturally, he obliged to the kids' request. Since day 1 we got together, I knew that he is a fishing freak. Now, it seems that both my children got the love for fishing from their papa.

Zac can't wait to try out his new rod. He received a child-sized Spiderman rod as a birthday gift a few weeks back. It was from dear's fishing kaki, Chua & Elaine, his wife, who has now gone back to Singapore. Anyway, since Nana didn't have one, she politely asked Zac if he could share. Dear overheard it and went out to buy a Princess rod for her. She was so happy when she saw dear carry it into the house and kept thanking him.

I couldn't join them yesterday as I was still feeling weak. I woke up feeling worse than the past few days. It's weird why I'm taking such a long time to recover this time round. I've been coughing for more than a week now. Anyway, dear went ahead with the kids. Both of them caught 2 little fishes each, with their new rod. Not bad for a kid right?! Good job guys! Mama knew you could do it! As dear always say, good skills like these surely comes from him... At least, he's right this time round ;p

The move...

Hooray! We finally shifted into our new nest on 1st October 2010. The past week has been hectic for me. Busy packing and shifting, and I still had to do my daily chores as well as attend to the kids! It was seriously a lot of work! I thought I had very little stuff, but somehow the packing was never ending.

Instead of renting a van, we thought we could just squeeze everything into our Galant and Dodge, since we don't have that many boxes. Took us several days and trips to shift everything over. The only concern we had was the cupboard where the kids kept their books. Hmmm... How on earth are we going to shift that?

On the day that we were supposed to vacate the apartment, I was down with diarrhoea. Felt terrible & weak, but I still had to continue with the shifting. Lucky for me, 2 good friends of mine came over to help! I didn't want to trouble anyone, so I kept turning them (Selina, Echo & Ivy) down when they offered their help the week before. Selina & Ivy surprised me when they turned up at my apartment, and asked what they could do to help... Echo was stucked at home planning for her roadtrip as well as ours. Awwww! So touched by their actions.  Anyway, they helped cleared the barang-barang from my fridge (they said I could open a "Mama Shop" since I have everything) and shifted all the food items to my new house.

Just when we thought that all was done, we remembered that we still have that cupboard which we have not moved.  Ahhhaaa! Selina's driving an SUV, so maybe the cupboard can fit into her car. My strong dear carried it and tried to fit it into her car, but it was too big. Oh no! Should we dismantle the cupboard? But it'll be more work! Then dear said maybe we should try squeezing it into his old Dodge (the kids called it laopok car - laopok means crappy & lousy) since the kids will be sitting in my Galant. And guess what?! It fit!!! That settled everything!

Meanwhile, enjoy the following photos of our new crib...  

Exterior of The Pyramids



The 2 entrances into our house - garage & main door

Cosy Living Room

Balcony

Dining Area

The place where I spent most of my time - The Kitchen

Master Bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe

The restroom in the Master Bedroom

Our living room when viewed from the 2nd level

Kids' play / study / cosy corner on the 2nd level

Kids' Bedroom

The restroom outside the kids' bedroom

 

Check out that smile! They were the happiest ones after the move!!!

My very 1st entry...

I have always enjoyed reading blogs... Not that I am KPO! Haha. It's just that when I read what the bloggers have entered, especially topics related to their kids, I will recall pleasant memories when my own children were going through those phase. Oh, I truly miss those days! Their innocent smile, their babblings, the way they toddled... Practically everything from infancy till the time they turned into the terrible twos... Now that they are older (my boy has just turned 5 and my girl will be turning 4 next January), I am always busy scolding them when they quarrel or when they take a long time to finish their meal. Haiz...

Well, back to the blog topic, I have never thought that I will, one day, have my own blog. The very main reason was because I am not a linguistic person. I don't enjoy writing or in fact, reading. I don't read newspapers or books but I do read magazines! And when it comes to cooking books, I will not even browse through if there are no photos in it. I need photos to visualise! Haha.

The other reason was the fear of not knowing what to write... What if i run out of topics? What if readers find my entry boring? And lots more of what ifs... Hehe.

One night, while I was chatting with Dawn, I was telling her how cheeky her son's smile was. She suggested that I read her blog entry for that day. And so I did. It was hilarious! Her son, Sam, an 18 month old kid escaped from his playzone while his parents were busy cleaning up in the kitchen. The place was enclosed but he still managed to get out, not by lifting or opening up the panels... But, by squeezing himself in between the panel and the wall. Haha. After reading it, I had flashback of my kids doing something similar...

She then asked if I blog. Well, I told her the truth, about me not knowing what to write. Dawn, being a sweet friend, said "Just write about what happened that day. Write about your children. Write about what you did." And after that, she forward me the link to set up a blog... How can I not create an account if she has already provided me with some guidance???

So, here I am, keying in my very 1st entry... All thanks to Dawn!